We were happy to have @billgarrity3 join us and answer a few questions.
1) Even though we’ve had you on a previous podcast and a Q/A piece, please tell our readers a little bit yourself.
I am a talent spotter for ESPN and Fox football games. That means I am the guy in the booth next to the announcers with binoculars pointing to names of the players involved in each play. I essentially fill in the gaps with the details for the guys who do the talking. I started with college football for ESPN years ago and have done it every year since.
2) We are a bit surprised by Mack Brown’s UNC recruiting success, tell us why you are not.
I have had the pleasure to meet many famous football people in my life due to what I do for football games but no one else has had the charisma of Mack Brown. He is so personable, genuine, and charming. Most college football coaches that get the “good recruiter” label are more of the used car salesman cliche. There is none of that in him. He introduces himself to the elevator operator at the stadium and asks her for her name. That pretty much sums it up.
Also, he is more of a celebrity throughout the country than I realized. People all over the place come up to him and say they are big fans of his. I walk through airports and sit in bars with famous football guys all season and he attracted more attention than even the Sports Center guys. The SC guys usually get more of that treatment since their face is on TV so much. To put it in perspective, all over the country he gets the type of celebrity treatment you’d expect for Dabo in Greenville. It surprised me.
3) Give us your favorite Mack Brown story from your times meeting him
One time he was in a press box elevator, talking to the operator, and asked the guy if he wanted a closer look at his national championship ring. The operator said yes so Mack takes off his ring and hands it to the guy. The guy is looking at it and drops it. It almost fell through the crack between the elevator and the outside wall! Everyone gasped. Luckily, it bounced off the edge of the elevator and didn’t fall through.
The season I was on the crew with Mack we had the NC State game at UNC. There was a steady stream of people coming into the booth to say hello and give him a hug, including Roy Williams and some former basketball players. He connects with people.
4) Ultimately how successful do you think he’ll be at UNC? Will he match his late 90s run?
I think he’ll do well because of his ability to recruit but I don’t think they will be that good again. I think those teams are underrated because people forget how good FSU was then. I do think his teams will be competitive but I don’t see them being the next Clemson. I would guess they will consistently be in the top half of their division and win it every 3 or 4 years.
5) You are working the ACC Network’s first prime time game. How excited are you for the ACC Network as a fan and someone that will work ACC games?
It is exciting for all ACC fans. As a GT grad, I’ve been following ACC football since the early 80s so it definitely is for me. I’ve worked a handful of SEC Network games and the productions tend to talk more about in-conference stuff and less national stuff than an ESPN or ABC game. I think the fans like that. It will also help spread the ACC games out a bit more, with the noon/4/8 windows always being filled. The ACC fans complain about early games as much as Pac 12 fans complain about night games.
6) Should ACC fans be concerned that some of the larger carriers have yet to sign on to ACC Network or do you expect most if it not all will ready by the launch?
No. There may be a couple late to sign up, inconveniencing some, but I doubt it will last. I have U-verse and that may be a problem. AT&T has planned to phase it out and push those customers to DirecTV since they bought the latter. Dish is building out a 5G network and may not add anything due to that distraction. Other than that, Disney knows how to deal with carriers.
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